Fastening for mail-bags, &amp;c.



N0. 7l2,783. Patentd No'vJ 4, I902 R. H. EASDDWN.

FASTENING FOB MAIL BAGS, 8w.

(Application filed' -Tuly 21 1902.)

(No Model.)

wi/bmmoca v l ROLAND HENRY EASDOWN, OF MOUNT MCDONALD, NEW SOUTH WALESPATENT OFFICE.

AUSTRALIA.

FASTENING FOR MAIL-BAGS, 86C- SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 712,783, dated November 4, 1902.

Application filed July 2l, 1902 Serial No. 116,418 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROLAND HENRY EAS- DOWN, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, residing at the town of Mount McDonald, in the State ofNew South Wales, in the Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Fastenings for Mail-Bags and the Like, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fastenings for mail-bags and thelike.

This invention relates to fasteners for securing mail-bags and otherpackages or articles; and it consists, essentially, in means whereby aslip of paper or other suitable material bearing the imprint of theofficial stamp denoting the despatching office (or any other indication)may be so applied that it must of necessity be mutilated to unlock thefastener,

the label being exposed to view so that its in tegrity may bereadilyascertained before the fastener is unlocked in the ordinarycourse.

Figure 1 is a plan showing the buckle with the parts extended. Fig. 2 isa side elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing thebuckle in position prior to being locked. Fig. 4 is a plan showing theunder side of buckle. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section showing thebuckle in position and locked. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing thebuckle sealed up as when in use.

The buckle comprises, essentially, a locking-plate and sealing device,joined together by means of a looped hinge for the purpose of allowingthe loose end of the binding-strap to pass between and to permit theplay of the parts necessary to effect a tight binding of the neck of thebag, as hereinafter described.

a is the locklng-plate, which is constructed as shown, and to under faceof which is riveted one end'of binding strap :0. a is anaperturetherein.

a is an underlying pivoted catch having a beveled projection which movesin the aperture a and whose travel is controlled thereby.

b is the seal-box, which is formed with cheek-plates b b and providedwith a circular aperture 5 and is connected at one end to thelocking-plate a, by the loop-hinge c and provided at the other end witha hinged plate (1. The hinged plate dis adapted to fold over and liewithin the seal-box b.

e is a disk which lies on one face of the plate d.

'f is a projection (hereinafter called the tongue) which passes throughthe plate 01 and is secured to the disk e, being retained in position bymeans of a shoulder, so that the disk and the tongue may revolve one oneither side of the hinged plate.

h hare holes in the disk 6, provided so that the same may be revolved bythe engagement of a suitable key, as hereinafter explained.

it is a notch in the edge of the tongue f.

The method of operating the invention is as follows: A seal-slip m, Fig.6, of paper parchment, celluloid, or any other suitable material, isplaced in the seal-box b and the hinged plate d closed down, so that thedisk 6 presses tightly thereon. The loose end of the strap 00 is nowplaced around the neck of the bag or other package and passed throughthe looped hinge o and over the face of the locking-plate a. Theseal-box, with projecting tongue, is now closed down into the positionshown in Fig. 3 and the strap drawn as tightly as possible around theneck of the bag. The seal-box is then forced down so that the tonguepasses through the underlying hole in the strap and into the aperture ain the locking-plate a, when the buckle will be securely locked; Thetongue must be in the position shown-that is to say, with the notch 70toward the hinge c. r

The automatic locking of the'buckle is accomplished in the followingmanner: As soon as the tongue passes through the aperture a the outwardstrain on the strap causes the notch 70 in the tongue to come intoengagement with the locking-plate, and in doing so the end of the tonguef comes into contact with the underlying pivoted plate a at the point aand causes it to revolve into the position shown by the dotted lines inFig. 4, which partially closes the aperture a and maintains the tonguein engagement with the locking-plate until it is desired to unlock thebuckle. This can only be accomplished by revolving the disk e, and withit the tongue,

one-half turn to the right and so reversing the position of the notch k,and at the same time pushing the pivoted catch a to one side and sopermitting the tongue to be withdrawn from the locking-plate. The diskebeing entirely covered by the seal slip or label m the holes h h areonly accessible by the key, and the disk can be only turned byperforating the seal-slip, which being tightly clamped in the seal-boxby the disk is by the rotation of the latter necessarily torn to such anextent as to clearly reveal the fact of the lock having been opened.-

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed,

I declare that what I claim is In fastenings for mail-bags and the likethe combination with a binding-strap of a buckle Signed at Sydney this6th day of June, 1902.

ROLAND HENRY EASDOWN.

Witnesses:

T. C. ALLEN, N. S. RATTRAY.

